Viewing deck of world's tallest tower in Dubai remains shut

DUBAI: The viewing deck of Dubai's Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, remains shut for "maintenance," an employee said today, a month after its elevator became stuck, trapping passengers.

The employee in the tower's information office said the viewing deck remains closed for "maintenance." No date had yet been set for its reopening, the employee said.

A spokesman for Dubai Civil Defence told AFP last month that on February 6, the elevator became stuck near the 124th-floor viewing deck, trapping passengers for around 30 minutes.

The passengers were rescued unharmed, he said. Emaar Properties, which developed the tower, in a February statement attributed the deck's closure to maintenance due to "unexpected high traffic" and "technical issues with the power supply."

The company declined to comment today, referring AFP to its original statement.

The lavish January launch of the glistening concrete, glass and steel tower, which rises 828 metres out of the desert sands, was part of Dubai's efforts to burnish an image tarnished by its crippling debt woes.